The Effect of Left-Behind Status on Bullying Victimization and Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Adversity

Previous research found that being left behind was positively associated with increased risks of bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, but few studies were conducted to examine the specific left-behind-related adversity that may mediate these relationships. The present study aims to address this gap by examining the mediating roles of eight types of left-behind-related adversity in the association between left-behind status with bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. A total of 1,130 Chinese adolescents (52.4% female; M age = 13.3, SD age = 0.90) completed measures assessing left-behind-related adversity, bullying victimization, depressive symptoms, and demographic variables. The results indicated that being left-behind was associated with higher levels of all eight types of left-behind-related adversity, bullying victimization, and depressive symptoms. Among these adversities, perceived discrimination emerged as a significant mediator in the relationship between being left-behind and both higher levels of bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. Moreover, lack of communication between children and current primary caregivers was also found to mediate the association between being left-behind and more depressive symptoms. These results suggest that perceived discrimination and lack of communication between children and current primary caregivers may serve as underlying mechanisms contributing to the disparity in bullying victimization and depressive symptoms between left-behind children and their non-left-behind counterparts.